Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL) Copyright: 2006 The Palm Beach Post Contact: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333 Author: Jill Taylor, Allyson Bird, Palm Beach Post Staff Writers PORT ST.LUCIE NOT THE 'SAFEST' AS CRIME DROPS FOR 14TH YEAR IN FLORIDA Port St. Lucie Is "Florida's Safest City" No More After a seven-year stretch with the lowest crime rate among populations higher than 75,000, Port St. Lucie fell to second best Tuesday, according to 2005 crime statistics compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Coral Springs in Broward County took the honor by dropping its crime rate by 17 percent last year to make it even better than Port St. Lucie's total with a 10 percent drop. The crime rate compares crime to population and arrives at a number of crimes per 100,000 residents. Port St. Lucie Police Chief John Skinner said the "safest city" title doesn't come with a trophy or prize, but it was a nice way to illustrate safe streets in the face of phenomenal growth. Some crime did rise in the city, but Skinner said that was to be expected. "It's consistent with a city that's growing and I think, frankly, it's pretty good," he said. Overall, Florida's crime rate dropped for the 14th straight year in 2005. Fort Pierce's crime rate dropped by more than 5 percent, and unincorporated Martin County was nearly 13 percent lower in 2005 compared with 2004. Stuart's crime rate followed the trend by dropping more than 11 percent. Only unincorporated St. Lucie County saw a rise in the crime rate last year, with a 3 percent increase. In Martin County, the only significant spike in 2005 was a 39 percent jump in robberies. Officials say many of those crimes involve strong- arm robberies in the Spanish-speaking community where workers tend to carry cash and are thought by robbers to be less likely to report crimes. "We have seen an increase in victimization of our recently arrived immigrants," said Martin sheriff's Maj. William Snyder. Snyder didn't want to identify any specific areas, but daily reports show many of the crimes are reported in the Golden Gate area south of Stuart and Indiantown, where there are significant immigrant populations. The department has concentrated crime prevention efforts and tactical units in those areas, but cultural differences make it harder to reach potential victims who may fear law and distrust law enforcement. Jeb Bush, in his eighth and final year as governor, attributed low statewide rates in part to the anti-crime policies he signed into law early in his term, particularly the "10-20-life" bill increasing penalties for gun crimes and the three-strikes bill cracking down on repeat offenders. "All of these things have helped reduce crime rates in our state," Bush said. "The net result is that the people that commit violent crimes are in prison now, rather than getting out on early release to commit more crimes." But Bush could not explain why murder rates in two major cities have skyrocketed this year. "I cannot honestly tell you what the reasons are for the upsurge in violence in Orlando ... and Jacksonville this year," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman